Wrench



Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES JOSEPH EIFEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS WRENCH Application filed December 31, 1927. Serial No. 244,022.

This invention relates to wrenches and more-particularly to improvements .in that style of wrench known in general as the sliding jaw type. I

The principal objects. and advantages which characterize this invention reside in the provision of the improved construction generally of sliding jaw Wrench; the provision of the improved Wrench of the type referred to incorporating a novel form of gearing for imparting movement to the movable j aw member; the provision of a Wrench of the character referred to including an improved lever construction; the provision in a wrench having a sliding jaw of an improved ratchet gearing construction and improved means for facilitating its manipulation; the provision of an improved type of wrench having improved and greatly strengthened gearing and jaw construction; and the provision in a wrench of an improved form of sliding jaw, lever construction, and gearing which cooperate to increase the pressure capable of being exerted manually on the jaws of a wrench for grasping an object, and the provision of a wrench of the character described in which the arrangement affords a neat appearance, is compact, and permits of an adjustment for increasing the leverage exerted by the operator.

The invention is further characterized by an improved form of spring means for controlling the connection between the lever and the movable jaw. This invention is intended as a continuation in part and a further refinement of the invention disclosed in my application, Ser.

No. 653,914 filed July 26, 1923.

The foregoing objects and advantages are attained in the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a wrench incorporating the improvements of my invention.

Figure 2 is an edgewise view of the same. Figure 3 is a composite side and edge view in elevation of one form of the movable jaw. Figure .4 is a view showing in plan one face of the jaw of the wrench.

Figures 5 and 6 are elevationalviews of alternative forms of jaw members usually supplied with the wrench to be used alternately in a so-called kit. a

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a coil spring employed in the wrench.

Referrlng now more particularly to the drawing, and first to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, I procvlde a wrench which includes a head 5 having a stationary jaw 6 projecting therefrom,

the inner surface 7 of said jaw being in a plane substantially at right angles to the transverse axis of the head and the outer surface 8 of the jaw 6 being tapered. The movable jaw indicated at 9 is similarly formed whereby to facilitate inserting the wrench in close places.

The head 5 is formed as a single casting and has extending therefrom a stationary handle 10, this handle being disposed in a plane angularly related to the longitudinal axis of the wrench and having a curved portion 11 facilitating grasping'thereof by the operator.

The head of the wrench is provided with a transverse opening 12 in one end of which is slidably mounted the shank portion 13 of the movable jaw 9, one wall of the opening 12 having a key 14 projecting therefrom for sliding engagement with a complemental so groove 15 formed in the shank of the movable jaw.

The opening 12 in the headextends into the handle portion 10 and terminates at about the point indicated at 16 so as to accommodate movement of the movable handle or lever 17 which latter is provided with an enlarged head portion" 18 substantially circularv and having fulcrum members or trunnions 19 projecting from the opposite faces thereof and lying in diagonally disposed slots 20 provided in the walls of the head 5. The portion-18 of the lever may be recessed and provided with a cutting edge as indicated at 21 which is adapted to cooperate with a com- 5 plemental recess having a cutting edge 22 formed in the head 5.

The shank 13 of the movable jaw is provided with a plurality of gear-teethforming a rack 23, this rack extending from the outer end of the shank below the jaw 9 and terminating in an abutment stop 24 at the teeth 23 are disposed .diagonally upon the shank 13, and in proportion to the length of the shank, said teeth are made relatively large and preferably of the contour as shown in Fig. 3, that is, having curved engaging surfaces 25, the purpose of which will be presently described.

The lever head portion 18 is providedwith ear-teeth 26 complemental in shape and unction to the teeth 23 and adapted to (i?- gage therewith for compressing the mova le jaw against an object between it and the stationary jaw 6. It will be observed, that the teeth 26 have substantially the same contour to the contacting faces thereof as the teeth 23. It will be also observed that the lever 1'7 is held normally at the inner end of the slot 20 in position so that the teeth 26 will normally tend to engage the teeth 23 by the action of an improved form of spring which I have provided best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 7. The spring includes convolute portion 27 encircling a transverse pin 28 carried by the head, the spring having a relatively long shank portion 29 engaging a curved abutment or shoulder formed by grooving the head 18 of the lever 17 as indicated at 31. The spring is relatively stationary but will continuously exert tension on the shoulders 30 irrespective of the position of the lever in its arc of movement. The other end of the spring is provided with a laterally bent end portion 310 which enters and remains seated in a recess formed in the adjacent wall of the head 5 as best shown in Fig. 2. The improvement in this s ring resides articularly in that it simpli es the manu acture of the wrench in that the stud 28 about which the spring is rotated can be made a permanent part of the head by riveting because insertion and removal of the spring for purposes a of replacement and during the manufacture of the device may be accomplished without removing the studv28. It will be observed that the convolute portion of the spring consists of a single convolution having a large pitch, so that in applying the spring during manufacture of the wrench the spring is applied on top of the stud 28 with the end 31a inside the opening in the head and forced down on the stud and then rotated to insert the arm 29 into the recess 31 to engage the shoulder whereupon a pliers is applied to the end 31a and the same pulled up until it engages the recess or seat 3112 therefor. Converselythe spring may be removed by inserting a sharp implement between the convolute portion at the end near the recess 31?), and lifting the end 31a out of the recess 316.

It will further be observed that the s ring arm 29in engaging in the groove 30 afways tends to maintain the trunnion 19 in the end of the slot toward the movable jaw and that in ratcheting, when pressure is applied to the jaw 9, the movement of the trunnions rearwardly is facilitated by the diagonal slots as against, the employment of a slot at right angles to the axis ofmiovement of said jaw. Furthermore, it will be noted that the end 29 of the spring 27 is disposed so as to impose pressure substantially along the axis of the slots, .thereby facilitating the ratcheting by cooperation of the slots with the spring and with the diagonally disposed teeth.

In the provision of the diagonal teeth on i the rack and lever, a two-fold function is accomplished, namely, slight inaccuracies in the gear-teeth are compensated 'for, so that substantially no lost motion takes place; secondly, the pressure exerted on the lever imparts or tends to impart movement to the shank in two directions, that is, longitudinally and laterally of said shank. The angularity of the diagonal teeth is such that the teeth would, if not held by the walls of the head, slide laterally of each other. This function forces the shank into engagement with one wall of the opening 12, as shown, the wall carrying the key 14, and thus tends to set up a frictional locking of the shank in engagement with an object which the jaws grasp. There is little or no tendency of the diagonal teethto clamp the rack and jaw until the work is engaged between the jaws, but further closing of the jaws then produces a lateral jamming of the rack and movable jaw, which aids to maintain the engagement of the jaws with the work.

The form of the teeth, that is, the contour of the engaging faces thereof substantially curved as shown, serves. to facilitate ratcheting of the wrench when applying it to an object. For example, the wrench may be operated by one hand in the following manner: The operator grasps the two handles 11 and 17 in one hand and by applying the thumb of that hand to the slanting side edge 10a withdraw the lever from engagement with the shank, which will permit the shank to slide in either direction freely in the head, but will not permit it to drop out of the head as lon as the handle 17 and 11 are drawn towar each other, that is, in what might be termed a closed position. The 0 erator may then apply the wrench to the object and still holding the sam with one hand release the handle 17 by removing his thumb from (the surface 10a and applying pressure to the outer end of the shank 13. The shank will thereby be slid so that the jaw 9 and the jaw 6 will engage the object, the teeth 23 ratcheting past the teeth 26 by virtue of the fact that the fulcrum 19 is yieldingly supported. The handles 17 and 11 may then again be grasped applying pressure to the object and thereupon rotating the same or holding the same depending upon the operation desired. It will thus be seen that the wrench may be handily used by a one-armed person. To remove the jaw' 9 for applying other types of withdraw the fulcrum to the outer end of the slot 20 which removes the teeth 26,0ut of the path of the abutment 24, and thereby allows the jaw 9 to drop out of the wrench. A new jaw is inserted by holding the handle in the position shown, in Fig. 1 until the abutment 24 passes the teeth 26. It will thus be seen, that one experienced in the use of the wrench can handle and operate. the same with one hand.

In Fig. 4 a plan View of the face of the jaw 9- is shown, the jaw 6 having its face 7 similarly formed. I provide a plurality of diagonal grooves which are ti-shaped in crosssection indicated at 33 and a plurality of transverse and longitudinal grooves 34 alI intersecting at substantiallythe center of the gripping face of the jaw 9, so that a plurality of triangular facets are provided for engaging an object. This increases the frictional holding force and also permits of the grasping of small objects such as wire, small screws, nails and the like, at any desired angle by placing them in the complemental grooves in each gripping face of the jaws 6 and 9. v

The jaws shown-in Figs. 5 and 6 are employed for grasping articles, the jaw 35 in Fig. 5 being conical in shape and serving to grasp a coil of wire or a part thereof, and the aw 36 shown in Fig. 6, having a stepped recess 37 whlch affords shoulders facilitating the gras ing of round objects, such as bolts,

pipe an the like.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wrench of the class described,afixed Jaw member and a sliding jaw member, the latter formed with a toothed rack, an oper ating handle having teeth engaging the rack and havin trunnions, there being slots in the fixed aw member receiving said trunnions, said handle also being cut awa to form a shoulder, a transverse pin in the ed jaw member and a coiled spring surrounding said in and en aging the shoulder of the hand e at one en and the fixed jaw'member at the other.

2. In a wrench of the class described, a fixed jaw member and a sliding jaw member,

the latter formed with a toothed rack, an

operating handle having teeth en aging the rack and having trunnions, there mg slots in the fixed jaw member arranged obliquely to the longitudinal axis-of the wrench and receiving said trunnions, said handle being also cut away to form a shoulder curved substantially around the axes of said trunnions, a. transverse pin in the fixed jaw member, and a coiled spring having at least one 'convolution surrounding said pin and engaging the curved shoulder of the handle at one end and the fixed jaw member at the other.

3. In a wrench of the class described,'a fixed jaw member and a sliding jaw member, the latter formed with ,a toothed rack, an operating handle having teeth engaging the rack and having trunnions, there being slots in the fixed jaw member arranged obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the wrench and receiving said trunnions, said handle being also cut away to form a shoulder curved substantially" around the axes of said trunnions, a transverse pin in the fixed jaw member, and

a coiled spring having at least one convolution surrounding said pin and engaging the curved shoulder of the handle at one end and the fixed jaw member at. the other, said spring, tending to keep said rack and handle in operative engagement, said obliquely arranged slots so engagin the trunnions as to guide the teeth on said handle into engagement with said rack.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed myname 4 JOSEPH EIFEL. 

